Do You Really Need That Straw? This Article Will Change Your Mind

L.D.

By L.D.

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Warning: The following video is graphic and contains strong language.

A University of Queensland researcher recently led a study that revealed more than half of the world’s turtles have eaten scraps of the estimated 12 million tons of plastic that are dumped into oceans each year. Mistaking the garbage as prey, they ingest the plastic, which could create some potentially fatal issues, including the absorption of hazardous chemicals into their tissue and complications in the gut.

The male Olive Ridley turtle in the following video was found by a group of marine biologists off Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The footage shows the scientists removing a straw, nearly 5 inches long, from the wounded and struggling turtle. Please note the actions the biologist’s took to remove the plastic straw from the turtle’s nasal cavity, though extreme, was absolutely necessary to save its life. Please reduce your consumption of single-use plastics and properly dispose and/or recycle plastic waste to prevent events like this from happening.

In posting the video, the scientists urged the public to reconsider unnecessary single-use plastic items. Instead, consider reusable containers, like this one.

Other dangers lurk for sea turtles. You can help.Â

â˜…Â How Can I Help?Â â˜…

Hawksbill sea turtles inhabiting the eastern Pacific Ocean are one of the most endangered sea turtle populations on the planet. Less than 500 nesting females are estimated to remain, and the main cause of their population decline is unsafe fishing practices. Lobster fisheries in Nicaragua use unsafe gillnetting that unintentionally kills over a hundred hawksbills a year. We urgently need to remove these nets from the sea and reduce by catch mortality in order to give hawksbills a chance at long-term survival.

Just $12.50 removes 50 meters of deadly lobster gillnets from the sea.

L.D. and her eleven-year-old lab, Eleanor Rigby Fitzgerald, moved from Seattle to Grand Rapids earlier this year, and are currently enjoying exploring their new city! She likes books, music, movies, running, and being outdoors as much as possible.